The quality of employment in MENA countries: A deteriorating dynamics for middle-class wage employees

Abstract

In developing countries, the importance of decent jobs for sustainable growth and poverty reduction cannot be overstated. However, a large portion
of poor workers in these nations lack access to jobs that offer adequate income, benefits, and working conditions to enhance their well-being. This
article proposes a multidimensional employment quality index in the MENA region, specifically focusing on Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. This measure
encompasses three dimensions of employment quality: access to job benefits, job stability, and working conditions. The proposed approach considers the
availability and comparability of data across MENA countries by utilizing harmonized “Integrated Labor Market Panel Surveys” and employing the
Alkire-Foster method. In this study, we also utilize the Egypt Labor Market Survey from 1998, 2006, 2012, and 2018, as well as the Jordan Labor
Market Survey from 2010 and 2016, allowing us to examine the evolution of employment quality over 20 and six years, respectively. The main findings
of this article reveal a decline in the quality of wage employment in Egypt and Jordan, with significant variations observed across industries, education
levels, gender, age, and geographic location.